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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Zurvival Saturday (64) Death during the Zombie Apocalypse

When billions of Zombies infest the Earth Death might not seem such a big deal. However, whether a loved one is turned into a Zombie or they die by other means the age old question of What to do with the body will remain.

Depending on the circumstances and the type of Disaster dealing with the former living needs to be handled quickly.

According to the World Health Organization, The widespread belief that corpses pose a risk of communicable
disease is wrong. Dead bodies that have died from Trauma or Natural causes are
quite unlikely to cause outbreaks of diseases such as typhoid fever,
cholera, or plague, though they may transmit gastroenteritis or food
poisoning syndrome to survivors if they contaminate streams, wells, or
other water sources. So keep that in mind during disposal.

If however, a person dies from say an Epidemic or in the case of this post a Zombie apocalypse burial precautions will need to be taken to ensure that disease does not spread.

In the case of Zombies if death is from a bite or blood transfer from the infected a quick blow to the head destroying the brain before burial will ensure your loved one doesn't return from the grave. Zombies will already be roaming the world in the millions or even possibly billions no need to add another one if possible.

If a person has died from disease or epidemic then if possible washing the body before burial with soap and water can help stop further spread of disease especially in instances where Typhus, Cholera or Plague were the cause of death.

If available the body should be placed in a body bag or plastic sheet before entering the ground and a chlorine based solution sprinkled or sprayed across the top before covering with dirt. While many people think of Lime being used in burial it does not do much to stop infectious diseases whereas a chlorine based solution does.

Please note: Any vehicles used to transport bodies to burial sites where death was caused by epidemics those vehicles should also be disinfected after use.

Lastly, let's talk about burials vs. cremation. In nearly all circumstances burial is the preferred method of disposal. A plot can be dug with minimal effort (if more than one person helps) and should be deep enough to cover the body with top soil and to prevent scavengers from digging it up. It is a widely held misconception that a body needs to be buried 6 feet. This is simply not true. In many modern burials caskets sit mere feet below the surface. Of course it should be noted in those instances the body is embalmed, placed in a metal coffin and then that is placed in a concrete bunker before being covered. That simply won't be the case in a Zombie Infected world. Under the best circumstances a wooden coffin might be possible to construct but in all actuality the body will probably be placed in the ground with only the clothes on the persons back.

While you might be tempted to cremate a loved one the amount of fuel it takes to burn a body would deplete resources quite quickly especially in cases where multiple people have died.

Did you know it would take over 660 pounds of wood to cremate just one body?? Think of the man hours spent cutting, hauling and positioning the wood into a proper pyre. Then you have to deal with smell and also smoked pollution caused by the burning body. Not so pleasant an option now is it? If cremation is performed the body should be located at least 500 meters (1640 feet) downwind of dwellings.

Well I hope that answered some questions about how to deal with death during a Zombie Apocalypse. Many practices applied during disaster situations can be applied to a Zombie Apocalypse as well. You can find plenty of books to read up on them or you can learn more by visiting the World Health Organizations site by clicking here.

Now for this weeks questions:

Did I miss anything?

I know it's a bit morbid but have you ever thought of body disposal during a Zombie Apocalypse?